


Future

by tbhtommo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 2011 one direction, 2015 One Direction, AU fanfiction, Other, Read at Your Own Risk, basically contains a lot of emotions, i cried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 13:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4748450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tbhtommo/pseuds/tbhtommo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where 2011 One Direction gets an unexpected visit from 2015 One Direction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future

**Author's Note:**

> I first wrote and published this AU on wattpad in Jan 2015 and it got pretty good responses, so I decided to publish it here on ao3 too! This version of the AU is different from the wattpad one bc I've added more details here, but I'll put the link of the wattpad version in the end notes if you want to check it out, but don't read it first or it'll spoil the plot!!
> 
> (S/N: I am aware that although Zayn is no longer part of the band, but he is still mentioned in this AU. Please note that I am fully supportive of Zayn being a solo artist, and in no way am I attempting to force him back into the band. He's happy being a solo artist, and I fully accept that!)

The city of London is never quiet at night. Bright lights of skyscrapers dominate the skyline of the city, while cars sail across the streets, painting streaks of neon on the fading tarmac. Another day of recording their debut album. Five boys, Niall, Zayn, Louis, Liam and Harry of the British-Irish boyband One Direction are about to fall sleep watching TV on the sofa in their shared apartment when the doorbell rings, startling them all.

Immediately, Liam jumps up and rushes to the door while Niall mutters under his breath about who would appear at their doorstep at such a late hour. Meanwhile, Zayn continues texting a close friend on his phone while Louis and Harry sit lazily on the couch, staring at the tv with the news on. Harry has his arms around Louis while Louis snuggles into Harry's side, resting his head on Harry's right shoulder.

Five boys, aged 17 to 20, who have just won 3rd place on the X-Factor a few months before and are now recording their debut album. Little did they know who it would be visiting them at such a late hour.

-

When Liam opens the door to the apartment, he is momentarily surprised by what he sees. Or rather, who he sees.

It is a man in a plain gray tee and black skinny jeans. His black hair, shaved neatly at the sides, is tied up into a short ponytail at the back of his head. He sports a short moustache, and tattoos cover his arms. In fact, he looks rather similar to Zayn, however Liam can't remember Zayn mentioning about any relatives visiting them that night.

When the man sees Liam, his eyes light up and he smiles, showing off neat rows of white teeth. "Guys, I think we're at the right place," he exclaims, turning to his left. He seems to be talking to someone else out in the corridor.

"Um... excuse me? Who are you? What are you doing here?" Liam asks, stepping forward to make sure that the odd guy would not barge into the house.

"Hello Liam, I'm Zayn. Nice to see you again mate." The man extends a hand for Liam to shake.

"Zayn?" Puzzled, Liam turns his head and sees the Zayn he knows, still sitting on the couch, texting on his phone.

"What?" the Zayn on the couch looks up from his phone when he hears his name being called. "Who the hell is that at the door?"

"I don't know Z, there's this guy at the door and he says that his name is also Zayn. He looks pretty much like you, actually. You know him?" Liam asks. Zayn shakes his head and stands up slowly, tucking his phone into his pocket and walking towards the door. Curiously, the rest of the boys also make their way towards the door to see who it is.

The boys crowd around the door, looking 'Zayn' up and down, eyebrows raised in confusion. An awkward tension settles over the 6 guys as each of them struggle to react. Finally, Louis speaks up. "Z, you know him?" 

Zayn shakes his head, eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you one of Zayn's long lost cousins then?"

"No, Louis. I told you, I'm Zayn," the man laughs. "Ok, you might not believe this," he continued, "but I'm actually Zayn Malik. I'm from the future, and I've come to see you guys."

At that moment, all five boys snort. "Future?" Niall chuckles. "Is this some kind of sci-fi movie? Come on, everyone knows that teleportation doesn't exist!"

"Exactly!" Harry agrees. "Are you okay? Are you lost? Do you need a ride home? We could ask one of our security guards to send you home if you want."

"I swear I'm not lying!" the man protests, gesturing once more to someone on his left. "Looks like you guys need to see us."

The five boys of One Direction can't believe their eyes as four other men step in front of the door. Those four men look vaguely familiar- or rather, similar to their current selves.

One of them has quiffed hair in a mix of blonde and brown. He has sparkling blue eyes and looks just like Niall. When he sees the 5 boys staring at him, he grins, showing off rows of straight teeth.

The other has wavy brown hair with a fringe swept to his right. He is wearing a black shirt and black skinny jeans, which shows off his slightly feminine curves and looks good on him. Under the whitewashed lights of the apartment corridor, shadows form on his cheeks, making his prominent cheekbones stand out. He fixes a surly-looking stare at the boys as they quickly look him up and down.

The third has short brown quiffed hair and facial hair. He has a red plaid flannel on and a white shirt underneath. A loose pair of denim jeans hang low on his hips, held up by a brown leather belt. Even underneath all his layers of clothes, the boys can tell that he is quite well-built. He was definitely someone not to be messed with.

The fourth has long, luscious curls up to his shoulders. He is wearing a dark silky-looking blouse unbuttoned to his chest, black skinny jeans, and brown boots. The boys notice a pair of bird tattoos peeking out from the two sides of the guy's clothing. As Louis stares at the curly haired guy, he can't help but admire his beautiful, piercing green eyes and stunning eyelashes- just like Harry's, only more matured and serious. In fact, he is quite intimidating, which is further emphasized by his height.

All the five men are inked on their arms except for the blonde one. In fact, the five men seem to resemble the younger boys as they stand next to each other, peering expectantly back at the younger boys.

"So... do you know who we are now?" 'Zayn' says, gesturing to the guys beside him who smile at the 5 boys, waiting for an answer. The younger boys open their mouths to speak, but no sound come out. They all know the answer, yet they can't believe it. Each of the younger boys stare at their future selves in awe, not believing their own eyes.

Finally, younger Zayn speaks up. "You're- you're us? One Direction?"

As the five men at the door nod, the younger One Direction rub their eyes, trying to wake up from their weird dream.

There is another moment of awkward silence, all 10 guys unsure of what to do next. After a while, Younger Zayn speaks. "Um... so... you wanna come in? It's really... awkward standing at the door." Younger Zayn points to the sofa in the living room, forcing a weak grin to break the tension. Older One Direction nod and take off their shoes, leaving them neatly at the side of the doorway.

"How I miss this place..." Older Harry says as he sinks into the plush sofa, glancing at Older Louis who gives him a nod and a fond smile in return.

"I know! Haven't been here for ages!" Niall agrees in his trademark Irish accent.

As older One Direction take their seats, younger Louis asks, "so what year do you all come from? How did you arrive here?"

"Oh, we're from the year 2015," says Liam. "Now... do we know how we got here, boys?" The older guys shake their heads, frowning.

"Seems like we randomly just appeared here," older Niall chuckles. "I definitely can't remember how we ended up here. Well, that doesn't really matter anyway. We're already here."

Now, in better lighting, the younger boys study the older men- their hair, eyes, arms, their figures.

"Why do I have so many tattoos?" A confused younger Zayn suddenly blurts out, pointing to older Zayn's arms. He almost immediately regrets his question, blushing as his older self looks slightly alarmed. But younger Zayn has never understood why someone would even get a tattoo, it just cost and hurt so much.

"Well... I don't know..." older Zayn looks down sheepishly at his arms. "Uh... they're actually pretty cool really. I'm actually thinking of getting a sleeve soon."

Just as older Zayn finishes his sentence, younger Liam shoots out another question. Do you have a girlfriend, Older Liam? Is it Danielle?"

Older Liam opens his mouth to speak, but quickly shuts it again. After a while, he sighs. "I'm afraid not, Li. But yes, I currently do have a girlfriend, she's pretty and amazing and I feel so lucky to have her. You'll know when you meet her— I guess I'll just leave it to fate."

The younger boys ask a couple other questions, occasionally smiling at weird answers, and chuckling at jokes made by older Louis. Just then, younger Niall suddenly thinks of a question— a question that has been unconsciously burning his mind ever since the older guys had stepped in.

"How many albums do you guys have now?" younger Niall asks curiously.

"Great question—" older Harry answers immediately, grinning at his bandmates. "We have four at the moment."

"Four?" The younger boys' eyes widen. It seems just about impossible- they're still such a small band, their debut album isn't even released, and yet their future selves are right in front of them, with four albums and probably many more fans behind their back. To the younger boys, it was so unbelievable how the five guys right in front of them know everything that would happen in the future, and the younger boys feel as if they have the older boys' past in their hands- one step gone wrong and it could ruin the older boys' career as well as reputation. 

"Are you sure... it— it can't be! We didn't even get first place in the X-Factor, and our album probably won't even get to the first place on the charts when it's released!" Younger Harry gasps in awe.

"Yeah!" Younger Liam agrees. "I couldn't even get people to come to my 16th birthday party!" He immediately feels tears welling up in his eyes. How he wishes the dream could end right now, bringing him back to reality.

No, that's not true," Older Liam argues, shaking his head. "When the time comes, you'll see."

"But how... how will we even get to that point? It seems like that would never happen, we're just a small band who appeared on the X-Factor and that's that! I mean, how far will we even go?" Younger Louis exclaims.

As older Liam opens his mouth to reassure the slightly distressed younger boys, older Zayn suddenly points to the TV set, still on in the background. "Shh— look!" All 10 guys turn towards the TV screen. The news is on, and the words "One Direction Get Mobbed" are on the screen in bold letters.

Turning their attention to the news, the guys hear the news reporter say, "today afternoon, we had one of the fastest growing bands in the world, One Direction, leaving a studio in London! Insiders stated that the band was mobbed by a large group of girls, who came from countries all around the world, from Argentina to America to the Philippines." Then, the screen switched into a short video clip of the younger boys running toward their vans, with fans pulling and pushing them from all around.

The younger boys shudder as they recall the traumatic scene from a few hours ago. That was one of the worst flash mobs they had ever experienced. Of course the boys were thankful for the massive support from their fans, but the mob that afternoon was just terrible— everyone was just pushing, and pulling, squealing, screaming, and deep down the boys were begging for the mobbing to stop.

"See?" Older Harry says, breaking the younger boys' train of thoughts. "People have come from all over the world to see you. Guys, you might not know this, but you're already one of the biggest bands in the world. Your first album isn't even out yet and there are already so many fans behind your backs. Wait till your album comes out— the world will literally erupt in chaos."

"Will we really get there?" Younger Niall squeaks softly, unsure.

"Yes, we're sure— we can promise you that," Older Niall nods at his younger self. "Look at me, here I am, with your bandmates from 4 years later, in the biggest boyband in the world. Nothing is impossible, Niall." Older Niall chuckles as he realises that he's technically talking to himself- not just anyone, but his younger self. Then, his face turns serious again as he continues, "maybe you don't believe me yet. Just wait till you guys see it and experience for yourself. Good ol' days, mate." He laughs and shakes his head.

"Yes, don't be afraid," Older Liam adds. "In fact, I got a tattoo back in 2012, for all of us." He pulls up the right sleeve of his flannel, and the younger boys crane their necks to see what older Liam is showing them. On the underside of older Liam's arm are 4 bold arrows, pointing downwards towards his elbow. The five younger boys stare at the tattoo, stunned.

"Four arrows.... four bandmates, and you?" Younger zayn asks, unsure.

"Yes, that's right, Z. Four arrows pointing in the same direction— four guys and me working together as a band, going in one direction. That's what it means. You five are the arrows, pointing in the same direction. Five arrows, putting their bandmates before themselves, having each other's backs, supporting each other until the end. That's what you have to do guys. The road is long and tiring, but courage is the key. Be brave. Be kind. You guys will make it."

"That's true," Older Louis nods. "Don't underestimate yourselves, boys. We've-" he gestures to the older One Direction boys, "we've been through this stage that you all are currently at. Helpless, vulnerable, yet somewhat hopeful. Boys, you have to believe in yourselves. You five will make the album a success. You five will continue be the biggest band in the world. We know your future- we are your future."

Everyone stays silent for a moment, staring at the ground. Older Louis' words echo in the younger boys' heads. We know your future. We are your future. 

Just then, the clock strikes 12 midnight, breaking the younger boys' train of thoughts.

"Guys, I think we should go." Older Liam points to the clock. The older guys nod.

"See ya," Older Zayn says as all five of 2015 One Direction each hug their younger selves ,each giving their younger selves a pat on the back before making their way to the door.

"Believe in yourselves, boys. You guys have been doing great. Keep going, we can't wait for you boys to get to where we are right now. When you look back, you'll see how far you've gone." Older Liam says. Looking at each other, the five older guys nod. With one last glance, they smile at the younger boys before turning out of the corridor.

And they were gone.

-

The next morning, the One Direction boys wake up to the sound of their alarm clocks ringing. Rubbing their eyes, memories of what happened the previous night flood back into their heads. They silently convince themselves that it was all a dream, however they can feel a burning desire to work hard deep down in their hearts. They are determined to be a greater band, with their music known to everyone all around the world. They want to make a positive impact on the music industry, spread good music all around the world.

The five boys jump out of bed and get ready in a flash. They are prepared to work on their new album, make it a success.

A few months later, One Direction's debut album, Up All Night is released. To the boys surprise, it quickly shoots up to the first few places on the iTunes top charts. After weeks of endless promotion, the album reaches first place on iTunes as well as the Billboard charts, making One Direction the first band ever to get their debut album to #1 on iTunes.

But that isn't the last of One Direction. The band proceeds to go on their first tour around the world in December 2011, travelling to places in Europe, Australia and North America. They also proceed to write and record their next album on tour, entitled Take Me Home, and release it in 2012. Still considered as a new band, many people are amazed by the number of awards One Direction have already gotten in their first 2 years. Everyone is baffled by the band's early success, some even predicting that the boys are going to be the greatest band ever in history.

In 2013, Midnight Memories is released. Many people are amazed by how their music has matured. Once again, the album reaches #1 in the iTunes top charts, breaking the record for the first band to ever have their first 3 albums at first place on the charts. The album quickly receives good reviews by famous magazines and websites, including the Rolling Stones magazine.

In November 2014, One Direction's fourth album, entitled Four, is released. As expected, their previous record is again broken by themselves- the first band to ever have their first 4 albums at first place on the charts. Meanwhile, rumours are being spread around- about One Direction fading out, disbanding and girlfriend rumours. This doesn't stop One Direction. In 2015, they proceed with their 4th world tour, On The Road Again, where they visit new parts of different continents such as South-East Asia. All of them are men now, aged 21 to 23, but are still as popular as before. Now, they have millions of fans behind their back. They are still well-known for their generosity and humility, for raising money for donations as well as charity football matches. But, above it all, the boys know that their success is all because of the fans, their fans, the ones who have gotten the boys to where they are now, the ones who will always have their backs.

-

It was a humid night in one of the countries in Asia, one that they have never visited previously. The boys have just finished their show. As usual, all the boys were in the living room of their hotel suite, surfing the internet on their phones.

Just as the clock strikes half past 11, Niall suddenly recalls the "dream" that he had 4 years ago. He remembers how motivated he was after the dream- so much recording, promoting, interviews and such. At that moment, one of the older boys' voices echo in his head: when you look back, you'll see how far you've gone. Now, looking back at the past, Niall suddenly feels a strong rush of nostalgia for the 2011 days. Out of amusement, he decides to share his interesting but odd dream with the other boys, hoping that they wouldn't judge him.

"Boys," Niall says, "ya know, I had this dream 4 years ago. I dreamt that us from 2015 kinda... we kinda teleported back to 2011 to visit our past selves. It was quite weird actually."

"Really, Niall?" Liam exclaims. "Me too! And I thought I was weird."

"You are, Liam," Louis laughs and slaps Liam's shoulder, ignoring the glare from Liam. "Just kidding. Me too. I actually thought I was just imagining things."

Zayn nods. "Yes, I remember that," He smiles.

"So it wasn't a dream after all..." Harry says thoughtfully.

The five men look at each other, grinning. They don't speak a single word, but they each know what the others are thinking.

"Let's do it, boys," Niall exclaims and everyone nods. "Let's visit our past."

Five men, the one with the brown-blondish hair, the one with brown eyes in a plaid jacket, the one with the curls and the amazing green eyes, the one with brown wavy hair, his fringe swept to the side, and the black-haired one with many tattoos on his arms.

They made it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I greatly treasure all your kudos/comments!!
> 
> As promised: here's the link to the (shorter and crappier) wattpad version of this story: http://w.tt/1NXrUUI


End file.
